Chelsea plan to use Juan Mata cash to beat Manchester United in battle for Luke Shaw

Chelsea will use the £37.1million they received from Manchester United for Juan Mata to help beat their rivals to the signing of Luke Shaw this week.

Standard Sport revealed last month Chelsea were confident of doing a £20m deal for the Southampton left-back in the summer.

But Chelsea are prepared to act before the transfer window closes on Friday night in light of United’s late move for the England Under-21 international.

Southampton are adamant none of their players is for sale. However, United want Shaw as the eventual replacement to Patrice Evra, whose deal runs out in the summer, while Chelsea see the 18‑year-old as the successor to Ashley Cole, who has yet to be offered a contract for next season.

Chelsea are confident they can win any bidding war thanks to the £53m generated by this month’s sales of Mata and Kevin de Bruyne. They have made a profit in excess of £20m despite buying Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah.

Shaw is believed to want a move to west London as he grew up a fan of the club and enrolled at a Chelsea Development Centre in Guildford as a child.

To secure the deal, Chelsea could loan Shaw back to Southampton for the rest of the season.

Chelsea are close to signing Kurt Zouma from Saint Etienne for £10m. It is understood personal terms have been agreed but the 19‑year‑old defender might not move until the summer.